Request for Comments (RFC)

Last Edit: 25/01/17

Introduction

Request for Comments (RFC) is a document series that outlines the technical
architecture and organisational structure of the Internet. The inventor of
Request for Comments (RFC) is Stephen D. Crocker:
it was Crocker who wrote the first RFC document: RFC 1 (7th of April 1969).
Crocker was part of the team (working group) that designed the first host
to host protocols of the ARPANET computer network. Due to the hap-hazard design
process of these protocols, numerous documents were written, and it was Crocker
- amongst others - who became aware that an official and organised document
system was needed. Request for Comments (RFC) slowly evolved into a document
system (publication) that describes:

Computer networking

Internet protocols

Internet programs

Internet procedures

Internet concepts

Internet opinions

Request for Comments (RFC) documents are crossed referenced to indicate
whether the document is current, obsolete, or revised. The information published
in a RFC file must be concise, clear and easily understandable. Each RFC
file is assigned a unique identifying number; such as: RFC 4021. RFC files
are published in a basic text format, and do adhere to a commonly used syntax.
When an RFC document is published it never changes; they are instead cross
referenced as obsolete or revised at the top of the document. RFC documents
are currently published by the IETF and can be accessed at the following
URL: tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1 - simple replace "rfc1" with the
number of the RFC you desire.

History

Request for Comments (RFC) predates the Internet: it was a document series
that outlined the design process of ARPANET's host to host protocols. The
idea of a document system for ARPANET's development appears to have been seeded
by meetings hosted by Elmer Shapiro and attended by Steve Crocker, Jeff Rulifson,
Ron Stoughton and Steve Carr, in the summer of 1968. When this group of individuals
met the BBN team led by Frank Heart (IMP builders) - to discuss network protocols
for ARPANET - they eventually concluded that they needed to make some notes
of these meetings.

Steve Crocker, the creator of RFC, orginally referred to RFC documents as
"NWG notes" and "Network Working Group memos" (RFC 3-16)
and stated that their purpose was to outline any "thought, suggestion,
etc. related to the HOST software or other aspect of the network". Originally
RFC documents were only distributed to a handful of individuals: Steve Crocker,
Ron Stoughton, Elmer Shapiro, Steve Carr, John Haefner, Paul Rovner, Bob Kahn,
Larry Roberts, and Jerry Cole. However the notes were available to anyone
at any ARPA network sites and membership was not closed; hence why Crocker
labelled the notes "Request for Comments"; Crocker wanted to facilitate
open discussion.

When Crocker and friends began the process of designing the host to host
protocols of ARPANET in 1969, the amount of RFC documents slowly built up,
and by 1970 there was over 100 RFC documents. It was at this point that Steve
Crocker said (RFC 1000) that Peggy Karp began indexing these RFC documents.
Jon Postel is credited as being the principle
RFC Editor from 1969-1998 - although it is somewhat difficult to ascertain
how RFC documents were edited and organised in their early days: as it appears
to have been a fairly disorganised process. Jon Postel was helped in editing
RFC documents by Joyce Reynolds until 1998 and distribution of RFC documents
was provided by Elizabeth Feinler at the SRI Network Information Center (NIC)
in the 1970's and early 1980's. Up until 1998, funding for the RFC project
was provided by the U.S. government.

When Jon Postel died in 1998, the job of editing RFC documents was conducted
by Joyce Reynolds and Bob Braden; who created
a small organisation to manage the process at the University of Southern California
(USC) Information Sciences Institute (ISI). Reynolds and Bradan were jointly
awarded the Postel Award in 2006 for their work in editing the RFC document
series. Funding for this organisation was provided by the Internet Society
(ISOC). RFC 5540 (2009), stated that the function of editing RFC documents
will transition to a new organisation. The reason for this transition was
stated as being to improve transparency and efficiency. The current company
that is responsible for editing RFC documents is Association Management Solutions,
LLC (AMS) - the contract was given to AMS by the IETF Administrative Oversight
Committee (IAOC). The IETF publishes the RFC document series on their website.

Information about the current management of RFC can be found at the following
website: rfc-editor.org. There is currently over 6500 RFC documents.